Guides
Which Mac app to use for which job, what Activity Monitor's figures mean, and how to keep an eye on your Claude Code and Codex limits. Every price and feature comes from the maker's own site.
Fix a problem
What is wrong, and how to find the cause with the tools your Mac already has.
- Why is my Mac so slowMac running slow? The seven usual causes, where each one shows up in Activity Monitor or System Settings, and the fix for each.7 causes
- Which app is using my CPU or memoryCheck CPU and memory per app on a Mac: Activity Monitor step by step, why % CPU passes 100%, and when high memory use is fine.6 steps
- How to free up RAM on a MacFind the app holding memory, what actually frees it, why RAM cleaners and purge don't help, and when full memory is fine.6 steps
- Why are my Mac's fans so loudFind the app that heats your Mac, check airflow, cap fan noise with Low Power Mode, and tell normal noise from a failing fan.6 steps
- What is using port 3000Port already in use? Find the process with lsof, see which project folder started it, and stop it without killing the wrong thing.6 steps
- Claude Code usage limitsWhere to see your 5-hour and weekly limits, and what to do when you run out.5 ways to check
- Codex usage limitsWhere Codex shows your 5-hour and weekly limits, credits, and what to do at the limit.5 ways to check
Best apps, ranked
Each app is labelled with the job it does best, with its pros and cons. Prices checked October 1, 2026.
- The best Claude Code usage trackers for MacMenu bar apps and Terminal tools that show your Claude Code limits, ranked by job.8 trackers
- The 11 best Activity Monitor alternatives for MacEleven apps that answer what Activity Monitor can't: which app is using your Mac, what happened an hour ago, and what to quit.11 apps
- The 10 best system monitors for MacTen Mac system monitors ranked on three questions: how busy the Mac is, which app is behind it, and what happened while you were away.10 apps
- The 8 best menu bar system monitors for MacEight menu bar monitors judged on what each puts in the bar and what its dropdown tells you, with the macOS 26 settings to make room.8 apps
- Task Manager for Mac: the built-in one, and the best appsWhere Activity Monitor is, how to force quit, and 7 apps that show one row per app.7 apps
Orcylo compared
Orcylo set against one app at a time, row by row, and when the other one is the better pick.
- Orcylo vs Activity MonitorApple's free tool against Orcylo: what each does better, and when to keep both.
- Orcylo vs VitalsThe closest rival, row by row: the same app-first idea, with different extras and prices.
- Orcylo vs iStat MenusThe deepest menu bar monitor against Orcylo: fans and weather, or apps and history.
- Orcylo vs StatsThe free, open-source favourite against Orcylo: how busy the Mac is, or which app.
Activity Monitor glossary
46 terms: what the processes, columns and figures in Activity Monitor mean.
Open the glossaryWhat the columns, figures and system processes in Activity Monitor mean, from % CPU and memory pressure to kernel_task and mds_stores.Jump to Memory Pressure, Swap Used, Compressed Memory, Cached Files or Listening port.
How we write these guides
MerdoAI · Maker of Orcylo
- Sources first. Every price, version and feature of another app comes from its maker's own website, documentation, App Store listing or code repository. Each guide lists those pages under Sources.
- Described, not benchmarked. Unless a guide says otherwise, other apps are described from what their makers publish, not from our own tests. Where a maker does not say whether an app does something, the guide does not claim it either way.
- Dated. Each guide shows when it was published and, if it changed later, when it was updated. Guides that rank or compare apps also show the day their prices and features were checked.
- We make Orcylo. Every guide that ranks or compares Orcylo says so, and says where another app is the better pick.
- No affiliate links. Links to other apps go to their makers' own pages, and we earn nothing from them.
- Written for macOS 26 Tahoe. Menu paths and Terminal commands are written for macOS 26 Tahoe, the current macOS, and follow Apple's own guides. On macOS 15 the menu names and locations can differ a little.
To report a mistake, contact support@orcylo.app.